Operating device for hand brakes and the like



Dec. 28, 1937. F. J. STOLPE OPERATING DEVICE FOR HAND BRAKES AND THE LIKE 1936 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed April 1 ede I rici'oljwe 28, 1937, F J, ST LPE 2,103,282

OPERATING DEVICE FOR HAND BRAKES AND THE LIKE Filed April 1, 1936 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 1 dericltlfiioljwe,

F. J. STOLPE 2,103,282

OPERATING DEVICE FOR HAND BRAKES AND THE LIKE Filed April 1, 1956 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 juucnfor i radar-i078 (ISZ'OQG,

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Patented Dec. 28, 1937 OPERA'HNG DEVICE FOR HAND BRAKES.

AND THE LIKE Frederick John Stolpe, Chicago, Ill., assignor, by mesne assignments, to Augustus F. Klasing Application April 1, 1936, Serial No. ,72,158'

7 Claims.

This invention relates to an operating device for hand-brakes and the like possessing special utility in its use as the operating means for the hand-brake of railway cars, and has generally in view to provide a lifting or pulling device having improved features of construction and assembly, both from an economical production and maintenance standpoint and from the standpoint of affording eiiicient service over long periods of time without the necessity of replacements or re pairs.

A special object of the invention is to provide a lifting or pulling device of the hand-wheel operated, chain-drum'type embodying exceptionally strong and durable bearings and bearing supporting means for the hand-wheel and chainwheel shafts.

Another special object of the invention is to provide a lifting or pulling device of the handwheel operated, chain-drum type embodying a supporting and protective casing or housing for the operating parts of the device, and to provide a novel assembly between said operating'parts and said casing permitting ready access to all of the parts of the device for repair or replacement purposes.

Another special object of the invention is'to provide a device of the class described embodying a main casing and a unitary operating mech anism for quick and easy assembly and disassembly with and from said main casing, so that it is not necessary to disturb the mounting of the casing in order to replace either an entire operating unit or to repair or replace any part thereof, and in this connection a primary and fundamental feature of the invention'is to employ a strong rugged casing or housing which is capable of withstanding the entire load and strain of. the mechanism both while active and inactive and at the same time has no hearings or bearing openings for the shafting or operating parts of the device. With the foregoing and other objects in view, which will become more fully apparent as the nature of the invention is better understood, the same consists in the novel features of construction and in the novel combination and arrangement of parts, as will be hereinafter more fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings and defined in the appended claims.

In the drawings, wherein like characters of reference denote corresponding parts in the different views:-

Figure 1 is a front elevation of a lifting or pulling device constructed in accordance with one practical embodiment of the invention, the hand wheel being broken away to show thestructure therebehind.

Figure 2 is a top plan view of the device. Figure 3 isa central, vertical, longitudinal section through the device.-

Figure 4 is a side elevation of the device. Figure 5 is a rear elevation of the main casing of the device.

Figure 6 is a side elevation of the removable and replaceable shaft hanger unit of the device; 7

and

in Figure 6. V r

Referring to the drawings in detail, it will be observed that the device comprisestwomain Figure 7 is a front elevation of the unit shown parts; viz., a main casing or housing designated The casing A is closed at itstfront, sides and 2 rear, but is open at its bottom as well as at its top, and at its rear is provided with suitable for mations or ears I0 apertured to accommodate bolts or the like for the purpose of fastening the same securely to a desired support such, for ex- 0 ample, as a railway car body. ,In horizontal and vertical section said casing is of a size and shape to telescopically accommodatethe unit B. V

The unit 13 consists of a shaft hanger, independent of the main casing or housing; and which shaft hanger carries bearings for all of the'shafts of the device and the parts carried by such shafts; It consists of a skeleton frame or shaft hanger I I, preferably a casting, having a hollow, cylindrical formation I2 at its top and a pair of relatively narrow legs or pedestals I3, I3 depending from said formation, one at the front and the other at the rear thereof. In addition, said frame or casting includes, as an integral, laterally'extending part of the cylindrical formation I2 at. the rear thereof, a pawl housing I4.

The cylindrical formation I2 is open at its front for the insertion and removal of a bearing I5 which normally is retained in the front portion of said formation by a bolt IB- extending through the top of said formation. On the other hand, said cylindrical formation is closed at its rear by a wall I! in which is formed a bearing I8 alined with the bearing I5. r In the bearings I5 and I8 are journaled. the

chain-drum 24 and, rigid therewith, a gear wheel 25, in mesh with the pinion 2|.

Connected to the chain-drum 24, as by means 7 of a pin 26, is one end of the actuating chain 2'! which is intended to be connected at its other end with a brake rigging of a car brake in any conventional or suitable manner, as for instance as shown in the patent of A. F. Klasing, No. r

1,927,237, dated September 19, 1933. This chain is adapted to be wound on the chain-drum 24 to apply the brake when the said drum is rotated by means of the hand-wheel or equivalent operating element,- which hand-wheel or operating element serves to rotate the pinion 2! and the gear wheel 25 meshing therewith.

Rotatably mounted in bearing openings in the front and rear walls of the pawl housing I4 is a pin 28 on which, Within said housing, is suitably fixed a pawl 29 for cooperation with the gear wheel 25 to hold the same against rotation in a direction counter to chain winding on rotation of the chain-drum 24.

The pin 28 extends forwardly beyond the front wall of the pawl housing l4 and at its front end is provided with a segmental head 30 providing on said pin a pair of shoulders 3| and 32. R0- tatably mounted on said pin 28, between the front wall of the housing l4 and the head 30 is a pawl actuator 33 having a portion 34 which is disposed in the segmental recess between the shoulders 3| and 32 and which is of lesser ciroumferential extent than the distance between said shoulders. The pawl actuator extends from the pin 28 in the form of a weighted arm to be manually swung to either of two extreme positions, in one of which its portion 34 engages the shoulder 3| to maintain a cooperative relationship between the pawl 29 and the gear wheel 25, and in the other of which its said portion 34 engages the shoulder 32 and maintains the pawl disengaged from the gear wheel 25. As is understood, the pawl actuator is swung to its first mentioned position when the chain is to be wound on the chain drum and is swung to its second mentioned position to permit free chain winding-off rotation of the chain drum.

The legs l3, I3 of the casting II preferably are of strong, light-weight channel form in cross section and preferably are reinforced by side webs 35, which, at their upper ends, are integral with the flanges 36 extending laterally from the cylindrical formation l2 of said casting near the bottom thereof.

The housing A is formed in its front and rear side walls with vertically extending channels 3'! which provide complete clearances from said side walls of the housing for the shaft suspending legs l3, l3 of the shaft hanger II, and the flanges 36 and other similar flanges 38 of said casting are formed to seat on the top of said casing A, and freely support the shaft hanger'unit B within said casing or housing. Moreover, the

casting I is formed at its front and rear to seat on front and rear top portions, of the casing A.

Consequently, any downward force imposed by the unit B on the casing A is well distributed over said casing.

The casting H is secured to the casing A by means of bolts 39 which extend downwardly through openings inthe flanges 36 and 38 and are threaded into bosses 40 formed on the casing A and underlying said flanges. Thus, while the unit B normally is retained effectively within the casing A, it is readily removable from said casing by upward movement relative thereto when the bolts 39 are removed. In this connection it will be observed that the shaft 23 is freely removable from the legs l3, l3 when the unit 13 is to be removed from the casing A, but that when said unit B is disposed operatively Within said casing A said shaft 23 is held against removal from thelegs- 3, 3 by means of a pin 4| which is mounted at its ends in lugs 42 on the front wall of the casing A and extends across the front, headed end .43 of said shaft. By removing the pin 4| the shaft 23 may be removed to permit removal of the chain drum 24 and the gear wheel 25 before removing the unit B from the casing A.

Preferably the head 43 of the shaft 23 is of square or other polygonal shape and is disposed between the suitable flanges or lugs 42 on the outer wall of the casing A whereby the shaft 23 is held against rotation in its bearings.

As is apparent, the present construction provides strong bearings'for the chain drum shaft 23 and also provides for distribution of the load substantially uniformly. over the casing A. Moreover, it is further apparent that the unit B, except for the drum and its gear, is freely removable through the top of the casing A and that when removed the parts thereof are readily separable for replacement, repair or other purposes. Furthermore, it is apparent that the present device embodies only few parts which may be manufactured and assembled at low cost and that the device considered as an entirety, is of strong, rugged construction capable of affording efficient service over long periods of time without the necessity of replacement or repairs.

Without further description it is thought that the features and advantages of the invention will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and it will of course, be understood, that changes in the form, proportion and minor details of construction may be resorted to, without departing from the spirit of the invention or scope of the appended claims.

I claim:-

1. An operating device for hand brakes and the like, the same comprising a casing to be mounted on a support, and a pulling mechanism including a shaft hanger supporting and carrying the operating parts thereof, said hanger being telescopically insertable in and removable from said casing, and means whereby said hanger is supported by said casing when operatively disposed therein.

2. An operating device for hand brakes and the like, the same comprising an open-top casing to be mounted on a support, and a chainwinding mechanism unit including a shaft hanger supporting and carrying the operating parts thereof, said hanger being insertable into and removable from said casing through the open top thereof'and being formed to be supported by the top of said casing when operatively disposed therein.

- 3. An operating device for hand brakes and the like, the same comprising a casing to be rigidly mounted on a support, and a lifting or pulling mechanism unit including a shaft hanger supporting and carrying the operating parts thereof, said hanger being insertable into and removable from said casing as a complete unit and being formed to be supported by said casing when operatively disposed therein, said unit comprising a chain drum, a hand operating element, and gearing connecting said element and said drum, all operatively mounted in said hanger.

4. An operating device for hand brakes and the like, the same comprising an open-top casing to be mounted on a support, and a unitary pulling mechanism separate from said casing insertable into and removable from said casing as a unit and supported by said casing when operatively disposed therein, said mechanism including a casting having a top formation resting upon and closing the top of said casing, a pair of legs depending from said top formation, a shaft mounted in said legs,- means on said shaft operable by rotation to exert a pulling action, a gear wheel fixed with respect to said means, a. manually rotatable shaft journaled in the top formation of said casting, and a. pinion on said last mentioned shaft in mesh with said gear wheel.

5. An operating device for hand brakes and the like, as set forth in claim 4, in which the first mentioned shaft is free to be removed from the legs of the casting when the latter is removed from the casing, and in which the easing is provided with means. holding said shaft against removal from said legs when the legs'of said casting are operatively disposed within-the casing.

6. An operating device for hand brakes and the like as set forth in claim 4, in which the first mentioned shaft is free to be removed from the legs of the casting when the latter is removed'from the casing, and in which the casing is provided with means holding said shaft against removal from said legs when the legs of said casting are operatively disposed within the casing, said casing being formed to permit removal of said shaft from said legs while the latter are disposed within the casing upon removal of said mechanism separate from said casing including a shaft hanger supporting and carryingthe operating parts thereof, said hanger being insertable into and removable from said casing through the open top thereof, said hanger havwhen said mechanism is operatively disposed 0 Within said casing. I

FREDERICK JOHN STOLPE. 

